The Ashura Chronicles
by BlueStarReturns
Summary: And you thought he was just a glitch character from Sonic 2... Follow the story of a young green hedgehog almost identical to Sonic, while Sonic, Tails and Knuckles attempt to help him find out who he is, defeat Dr. Eggman, and Chaos after the Master and Super Emeralds are used to destroy the Death Egg. S3&K transitions to SA1. If you like where this is going, feel free to review!
1. A Terrible Trick, A Terrible Mistake

The Ashura Chronicles, by Joseph Andrew "BlueStarReturns" Mundell

Chapter 1: A Terrible Trick, A Terrible Mistake

Sweat was pouring down their faces, as Sonic and Tails rushed through the Lava Reef on Angel Island. Up until now, they had taken everything that Dr. Eggman and Knuckles, the very crafty, if misled, Echidna had thrown at them. Traveling through land, ice, air and sky had finally taken their toll on the Blue Blur and he needed a rest.

Yet... he would never give up until Dr. Eggman was defeated and prayed that Knuckles would see the error of his ways by not causing any more inadvertent trouble.

"Tails, look!" Sonic yelled. "Up ahead is the Hidden Palace! We need to get to the Super Emerald chamber, so we can stop that old Egghead once and for all..."

However, Sonic immediately realized that his words may not be very motivating to his very best friend, for the young two-tailed fox had sustained terrible burns and damage to his tails... the source of his flight.

If Tails could not recover, they would be stuck forever until they could get back to the Tornado... and that was parked long ago back on the main area of Angel Island. Sonic started to fear for the worse, but Tails spoke up, very quietly, as if it pained him to choose his words.

"Sonic...", he uttered painfully, tears welling in his eyes, "when I first met you, I vowed that I wanted to be just like you. I swore I would live up to your standards of justice, truth and all that is good! I think you and I both know that this hasn't changed one bit. I'm with you... to the very end, if need be."

This display of wisdom brought a sense of pride and warmth to the blue hedgehog's heart. _For only being four years old_, he thought to himself, _Tails is a very wise kid. No, not a kid anymore. I think this adventure will have made him grow up very quickly. The only thing I worry about is whether we'll make it out of here alive to see him live a full life_.

Tails noticed that Sonic was quiet and asked him what was wrong. It wasn't like Sonic to usually be deep in thought like this and he felt that something was up.

"Tails...", Sonic began hesitantly, "if anything, _anything_, happens to me, you _need_ to use the Super Emeralds in my place. You _need_ to carry on if anything happens to me. We can't let Eggman win!"

Tails cracked a small smile, as a mischevious grin passed over his face. Sonic stared at him in confusion.

"Weren't you listening at all to what I just said?" Tails chuckled loudly. "I swear, Sonic Hedgehog, sometimes you just don't know when to listen!"

_Humor_, Sonic thought to himself. _Just what we need right now to keep our spirits up!_

"Well, let's get to it, then, my good friend. No... my little bro!"

With that, Sonic and Tails rushed into the Hidden Palace to activate the Super Emeralds, hoping against every outcome that it wasn't too late...

* * *

"KNUCKLES!"

The shout could be heard all the way from his resting place.

_What does that Dr. Eggman want now?, _thought a powerful red echidna to himself._ He comes to MY island, telling me that a blue hedgehog and flying two-tailed fox were coming to steal the Master Emerald. Not only that, I've had to deal with that Egg Robo. Last but not least, Eggman has me running around and stopping those two pests, leaving the Master Emerald unguarded! I feel so overwhelmed, I could just snap! _His thoughts racing, Knuckles decided to glide as fast as he could to the Lava Reef.

"Dr. Eggman," he addressed the evil doctor, "what did you summon me for?"

"Ah, yes, Knuckles.", the evil rotund doctor cackled in delight. "I notice that the Egg Robo has continued to give you trouble. Likely the work of that blasted Sonic the Hedgehog and Miles Prower! The time has come for you to do the job I employed you for... destroy Sonic and Tails, permanently!"

This hit Knuckles like a ton of bricks. _I can't do that! They may be evil, but I can't kill anyone. I'm not a murderer!_ _I better play along until I can reach Sonic, though!_

"As you wish, Doctor. Yet, how am I supposed to kill the fastest thing alive? The fox should be easy, as one of your robot contraptions told me he was badly burned and his ability of flight was damaged in their last battle with you."

The doctor fumed with anger at that last statement.

"I am aware of this, but I have a much more masterful plan in mind. However, it requires the deaths of both Sonic and Tails to work, though, and, of course... your unwavering cooperation." There was a very menacing demeanor in his eyes as he said this.

"What's in it for me?!" Knuckles asked in contempt. "Egg Robo showed up here and started messing everything up, you showed up to try and stop the two Freedom Fighters, and all the while, the Master Emerald is in danger! If that Emerald is stolen, we all are done for! I hope you realize what you're asking me to do, doctor..."

The doctor had to think on his feet. He hadn't counted on Knuckles to actually start thinking for himself.

"But, of course, my dear Knuckles... I would not ask you to do anything you wouldn't want to do."

"Really?" Knuckles responded, with a wry sense of tone in his voice, predicting the answer silently to himself.

"Of course not! Only you can make the decision, ultimately..."

_Whoa_, Knuckles thought. _I was expecting him to slip and suddenly say he's completely evil, too. I mean, my suspicions were somewhat confirmed when he said Sonic and Tails need to be destroyed, but I can't let HIM know that. Gotta think fast!_

"Well, all right, then. I will head over to the Hidden Palace and head them off. But, under _no_ circumstances will I kill Sonic and Tails. If you want that done, then _you_ may have to compromise your own morals and do it yourself. There will be no blood spilt on _MY_ hands, not now, not _EVER!_

Having made himself clear, Knuckles raced off to the Hidden Palace, hoping to find a solution in what seemed like an already unsolvable problem...

* * *

As they were resting, Sonic noticed his little companion trying to hold on to his energy. Tails wasn't looking very good, so they had decided to stop and reminisce about their journey so far.

"Remember, when we first set out from Emerald Hill on South Island, Tails?" Sonic told his young companion, trying to ease his mind from the pain. "You and I were a great team and still are. I'd blast through all the robots and you'd fly behind, ready to jump in if I needed you. Through the Chemical Plant, the Casino, Metropolis, we've had a really great adventure. I promise you, when this is done, we will have even more great adventures-"

Sonic stopped suddenly as he realized Tails had completely passed out, but not in a peaceful sleep. He was very badly hurt and wouldn't wake up. Just as Sonic was about to try and revive him, a voice cried out to him.

"Sonic! I can't allow you to go any further!"

In the distance, there was a powerful red echidna standing, guarding the entrance to the Master Emerald shrine. He looked very bound and determined not to let Sonic and Tails through to the Super Emeralds.

"Knuckles!" Sonic cursed. "We don't have time for this! Tails is hurt very badly and I need to get him some help. Plus, I still have to defeat Eggman!"

"Calm down, Sonic." Knuckles said reassuringly. "I realize I have been tricked by the doctor, but I need your help to make it convincing that I _still_ don't know he's evil!"

Sonic was puzzled by this, but decided that Knuckles was telling the truth. After all, he didn't appear to be in a fighting stance and was actually trying to appear peaceful. Not wanting to be too hasty, he addressed his newfound ally.

"Okay, I'll bite.", Sonic said with conviction. "What's your plan?"

"It's very simple." Knuckles began to explain. "You and I need to fight, _really_ fight. No punches pulled, no holding back. Let's try not to kill each other, though, okay? That kind of ruins the plan."

Sonic couldn't help himself when he laughed out loud. Knuckles had shown no sense of humor up to this point and, so, he was relieved to find out this information about his new friend. Knuckles glared.

"Sorry, Knux." Sonic replied apologetically. "Please continue."

"With pleasure." Knuckles replied cheerfully, a hint of a smirk on his face. "After we've beaten the tar out of each other, I'll let you into the Master Emerald shrine and you can use the Super Emeralds to defeat Eggman!"

Sonic was confused, as part of the plan was to beat each other up to submission.

"But, will the Emeralds completely heal me?" he asked. "I've never been able to use them when hurt before."

"That's because you've only used the Chaos Emeralds before. The Chaos Emeralds only give you the power that comes with their use. The Super Emeralds do this, _plus_ they restore you to full strength! Eggman will have NO chance!"

"Are you really sure about that, you little pests?", a voice laughed from the shadows.

Sonic and Knuckles' eyes widened in fear. The plan was already failing before it had even started!

"Eggman!", they cried in unison. "What are you doing here?!"

The great evil doctor began to laugh maniacally. "I am going to steal the Master Emerald and use it to power the Death Egg and, with it, will destroy the entire world! What are you going to do about it?!"

Without thinking, Knuckles knew what had to be done.

"SONIC!", he yelled as loudly as he could. "Take Tails and get your butts back to the Tornado as fast as you can! I may need you to swing back here and pick me up, but leave everything to me!"

Sonic nodded his approval and, in a flash of blue, grabbed Tails and did what only he does best: _Run!_

"Eggman!" Knuckles yelled. "You will pay greatly for your trickery! Master Emerald, Tikal, hear my prayer! Unleash all of your energy and direct it towards the Death Egg! The island may fall from the heavens, but we must not let Eggman destroy the world!"

"NO, YOU FOOL!" Eggman yelled desperately. "If you do that, you'll also release-!"

"SHATTER!" Knuckles cried out.

_CRASH!_

Instantly, in a myriad of colors, primarily green, the Master Emerald shattered into many pieces and the Super Emeralds depowered to their Chaos Emerald state, then scattered. As it did so, Eggman was blasted sky high and the flash of light shot straight towards his beloved Death Egg, destroying it for good.

"You idiot!" Eggman screamed. "Do you realize what you have done? Not only have you sealed your fate as my enemies, you have also released an evil far greater than myself! I hope you are ready to face the consequences, Knuckles the Echidna, for they are yours now! Good riddance, pest..."

Knuckles felt uneasy, as the doctor's last words unsettled him.

_It doesn't matter. He was going to destroy the world, I had no other choice. Master Emerald, Tikal, I swear I will find the pieces and restore you to your once glorious self._

"KNUCKLES! HOP ON!"

Knuckles' face brightened as he saw Sonic flying the Tornado towards him, Tails safely resting in a side seat. It couldn't have been more perfect timing, as Angel Island was starting to fall into the sea below, for Angel Island cannot stay afloat in the sky without the Emerald's power.

Knuckles landed in the other side seat and the three headed back to Sonic's home in South Island. However, upon reaching the doorstep, Sonic tripped over something, Tails laughing since he was somewhat delerious. After all, this adventure was a lot for a little kid like him and he'd been hurt pretty bad. Sonic immediately jumped to his feet.

"What the-? Who's there?", he yelled... only to stop short when he noticed that _nothing was there_.

Instantly, there was a loud _crack_ and a young green hedgehog, looking almost identical to Sonic, with black around the eyes, suddenly became visible, right where Sonic had tripped.

"Whoa!" Sonic yelled excitedly, then quickly went on the defense. "Who are you and are you friend or foe?"

With a scared, yet determined look on his face, the young green hedgehog said the following statement, words that Sonic and his friends would never forget:

"Hello! My name is Ashura the Hedgehog. I don't know anything else about myself or what I can do. But I'm willing to find out..."


	2. The Adventure Begins, New Threat Appears

Chapter 2: The Adventure Begins, A New Threat Appears

"Hello! My name is Ashura the Hedgehog. I don't know anything else about myself or what I can do. But I'm willing to find out..."

That's what this new green hedgehog was saying as Sonic, Tails and Knuckles arrived at Sonic's home. It didn't make Sonic relax from the defense any less.

"Listen!", he yelled rather frustratingly and perhaps a little harshly, "we just went through hell and back, so if you'll excuse us..." With a huff, he started to walk towards the door, when Knuckles grabbed his arm.

"Sonic!", he chided the hedgehog sternly. "I realize as much as you do what we have just went through and that's no way to treat a new guest. Ashura here doesn't seem like he's trying to attack us, he just wants to know who he is! I'm tired and cranky, as well, but I think we should help him." He glared at Sonic until the latter loosened his resolve.

"All right, Knuckles.", Sonic said in a resigned voice. "But he's _YOUR _responsibility! I have to help Tails get back to full strength." He turned to the young fox and said, "Come on, Tails. Let's get you inside so you can get some rest!"

Tails was instantly furious and began to protest. "Sonic, I want to work on my prototype for my new plane! It's a really great idea and-"

"It'll have to _wait!_", Sonic angrily interjected. One could tell the stress of the adventure and almost losing Tails was getting to him. This concerned Knuckles, so the echidna decided to break the tension.

"Do Sonic a favor and listen to him, Tails.", he told the ambitious fox soothingly. "We've all been through a lot and you _are_ injured. I'm sorry, but if Sonic thinks you should be benched, then I agree."

Tails stormed off into the house, grumbling, "Benched? What is this, a football team?", and trailed off before-

"KEEP WALKING!", Sonic chastised commandingly. "Don't be a smart aleck and do as you're told!" He then turned and headed inside, while smiling a silent thank you back to Knuckles.

Now that they were alone, Knuckles decided to approach the young green hedgehog that had just sat through all this arguing and discipline.

"So,", he began, "your name is Ashura. I apologize for Sonic, we really have been through a lot. We just had to deal with a very evil doctor, Dr. Eggman. He tried to destroy the world with his Death Egg."

Ashura seemed very intrigued and spoke up, trying to find the right words without stumbling.

"Wow!", he exclaimed excitedly. "How did you do it? Was there a big fight with lots of lights and explosions? I saw the wreckage about three miles away from here and ran like a bat out of he-"

"Hey!", Knuckles interrupted, "Slow down. One, you probably shouldn't use that word you were about to."

"I was going to say 'heck'..." Ashura replied with a grin.

"Oh.", Knuckles said embarassingly. "My apologies. Just with Sonic using it before, I wasn't sure if you did, too."

"Why would you think that?"

"Well, have you noticed that you look identical to Sonic?", Knuckles responded matter-of-factly. "Maybe I believed, incorrectly, of course, that you might also have some of his personality traits."

"What would that have to do with anything? I've never even met Sonic until now!"

"I know, I know.", Knuckles chuckled reassuringly. "Say, are you hungry?"

Ashura shook his head, but the growling in his stomach instantly gave him away. Embarassed minorly, he nodded his head and smiled.

"Sounds good! I hear there's a nice restaurant in Station Square that serves burgers and whatnot. Let's head there and see if we can't get to know each other a little better.

Thus, the powerful red echidna and the young green hedgehog with a knack for invisibility headed off to Station Square, ready to begin a new friendship.

* * *

"YOU! OVER HERE, NOW!"

The sound was so loud that one could hear it all the way through the Mystic Ruins. Bellowing and echoing with the tenacity of a thousand angers, it could only be one person.

"Yes, Dr. Eggman?", a lowly robot named Gyro asked. "You bellowed?"

"Spare me the backtalk, I should've never given you intellect. Why didn't the plan work?"

"Because Knuckles shattered the Master Emerald before you could use its power.", Gyro responded in a cool tone. "I figured that would be obvious."

"Obvious?", Eggman replied sinisterly. "No... what's _obvious_ is that you failed me! It was your job to keep Knuckles at bay as Egg Robo, while I dealt with Sonic and Tails! Because that impudent echidna found out who I was, the whole plan went to pot instantly. Do you know the price of failure...?"

Gyro nodded, thankful for the life it had lived, ready for the inevitable.

"Then, you have served your purpose.", the doctor replied... and then proceeded to obliterate Gyro into a hundred parts of scrap and metal.

"Damn you, Sonic and Knuckles!", Eggman cursed to himself. "Because of you, I have to begin again. I honestly don't see the use, as you'll probably just find the Chaos Emeralds and restore the Master Emerald anyway! If that happens, then I'm doomed yet again. However..."

It was as if a light bulb suddenly when on in the evil doctor's mind. It didn't go on often but, when it did, at least the plans _somewhat_ made sense.

"There is that prophecy. Inside the Master Emerald lives the guardian spirit, Tikal. Echidna legends states that Tikal's tribe once tried to use the Chaos Emeralds for completely personal and petty reasons, causing the guardian beast, Chaos, to arise and protect the Emeralds from harm."

The doctor grabbed the stone tablets from the nearby shelf and continued to read, growing more and more excited as he did so.

"It says here that if one should give Chaos a Chaos Emerald, it will grow stronger everytime it absorbs one. When Chaos has absorbed all seven Chaos Emeralds, it will become powerful, the God of Destruction! This is brilliant, a diabolical plan, to say the least!"

The evil doctor walked off into his control room, cackling madly with laughter.

"You'll pay for destroying my precious Death Egg, Sonic the Hedgehog! Mark my words... _you'll pay_!

* * *

"That's amazing!", Knuckles exclaimed. "So, you can become visible and invisible at will!"

"Yeah, I know I've been able to do it for as long as I can remember.", Ashura replied. "I just don't know _why_ I can."

"Knuckles! How's the scouting going?", a faint voice asked.

Knuckles pulled out a little device from his backpack and spoke into it. He seemed very annoyed, as this had been going on every fifteen minutes. Getting to know a new friend can be tough when this happens, of course.

"Everything's fine, Sonic!", Knuckles replied into the two-way radio. "Just relax and I'll let you know if anything happens! Would you like to say hello to Ashura?"

"Hey, how's it going?", Sonic squawked through the radio. "Are you remembering anything yet or has Knuckles been asking you too many questions?"

"Very funny.", Knuckles glared... before remembering Sonic was on a radio and couldn't see him.

Ashura laughed and said, "Ha, no, Knuckles is pretty cool! He bought me a cheeseburger, fries, shake and all that good stuff. I let him know about my invisibility, though."

"I see! So, how does it work?"

"Well,", Ashura began hesitantly, "I can somewhat turn it off and on at will, but I don't know _exactly_ how I'm doing it when it activates."

There was a long silence before Sonic responded again.

"Basically, what you're saying is that you can control it, but you don't know _how_ you're controlling it?"

"Yes."

"That's very interesting, but- Wait, do you hear that?"

Sonic wasn't just hearing things. For, in the distance, police sirens had started wailing. Night had just fallen and so the lights were spectacularly bright as the squad cars rushed towards City Hall.

"Whoa, has your hearing increased or something?", Knuckles asked incredulously. "This radio didn't seem very powerful from far away."

"I took care of that.", a small voice popped up on the radio, as Sonic yelled "TAILS! Get back into bed!" in the background. "I increased the sound frequency pickup to a radius of 50 miles from your current location. It does so at all times!"

"That's awesome, Tails!", Knuckles replied with admiration. "However, you should get back in bed. You've got to get well if you want to work on your prototype tomorrow!"

"I know... Bye, Knuckles! Sorry I haven't got to meet you yet, Ashura." The radio clicked back to Sonic. "I'm on my way to City Hall! Actually..."

_ZIIIIIP!_

"I'm already there! Get Ashura back to the house and make sure Tails stays in bed for more, could you, Knux?"

"Your speed never ceases to amaze me, Sonic Hedgehog, nor does your odd sense of responsibility. See you back at the house!"

* * *

It was a disaster in City Hall. A blue water-based creature had shown up and the police were on the scene. One could say that the creature looked almost like an echidna in the right light. It seemed peaceful but was misunderstood almost immediately. You see, this creature could not speak.

"Halt!", the commanding officer yelled. "We have you surrounded and will open fire if you become hostile. What are you doing here?!"

Of course, as the creature could not talk, all it could do was stand there in confusion. Things only became worse when a rookie cop stepped forward.

"He's hostile now! Fire!", he yelled, and had his entire squad fire their weapons.

"You idiot!", the commander screamed. "Hold your fire!" But, the damage was done.

The rookie didn't regret his mistake and said "Oh no! Our weapons are useless!" The commander could only shake his head in disappointment at his rookie's failure to heed command.

Meanwhile, on the roof, Sonic had arrived. "Aw yeah, this is happening! That sounded a lot better in my head... anyway, I better go see what's happening!"

Upon arriving at the scene, the creature appeared to still be standing there, the fallen bullets surrounding it. Wasting no time, Sonic tried to approach it.

"Hey, what's wrong, big guy? Are you lost or something?"

Without warning, the creature attacked. It shot its arms out at Sonic, who gracefully dodged the attack and quipped, "Hey! I'm not going to hurt you, I'm trying to help you!"

It didn't matter, though. The rookie's mistake had angered the creature enough into an uncontrollable rage and, unfortunately, Sonic was the closest target.

"I hope your officer knows what he's done, Commander!" Sonic addressed the Commander angrily. The Commander nodded ashamedly. "Get your men out of here, I'll handle this!" They did so, though when the Commander tried to apologize, Sonic waved him off. "GO!" Then, he turned to the creature.

"All right, ya big drip! You leave me no choice. I don't want to fight you, but I can't let you wreck Station Square!"

The battle was very intense. Left and right, up and down, the creature's attacks came from all directions. It was like dodging through a maze of tree branches. Sonic's moves had to be very graceful or he would take a very damaging blow to his body. The only attack that seemed to be useful was Sonic's Homing Attack, so the blue hedgehog used that for all it was worth.

At one point, the creature jumped up onto the above light post for a breather and to attack from above, but Sonic would have none of this.

"Get down here, you big coward! You wanna fight, then _get down here_!"

At this, the creature furiously obliged... only to suffer one final Homing Attack from the Fastest Thing Alive. The creature dissipated into a puddle and headed for the nearby sewer drain.

"Hey, you big drip!" Sonic yelled furiously. "Where you going? Have you had enough?" After checking the scene to see if anyone was hurt, Sonic headed back to South Island to give the report to Knuckles. _I'm taking a vacation tomorrow and no one's going to bug me_, he thought to himself as he took the train home. _Not if _I _have anything to say about it_!

Back on the roof of City Hall, someone was chuckling sinisterly to themself.

"You fool! It's Chaos, the God of Destruction!"

Thus, the notorious Dr. Eggman laughed maniacally all throughout the night, his new plan finally being put into motion. Meanwhile, Sonic was able to get better acquainted with Ashura back at the house and Tails also got to show Ashura a few of his inventions. All seemed right in the world.

However, little did our heroes know... their new adventure was only beginning!


	3. Dreams Of Despair, An Anomaly Revealed

Chapter 3: Dreams Of Despair, An Anomaly Revealed

"Ha ha ha, Sonic! I've finally caught you, with no way to escape!"

The evil Dr. Eggman had just unleashed his new machine, the Egg Hornet, and had Sonic in its grasp. Normally, Sonic would be able to escape from these types of machines, but he had been hurt very badly and dramatically caught in the claws of the machine.

Ashura couldn't understand what was going on. He and Knuckles had just shown up from finding Master Emerald shards down by City Hall and saw Sonic fighting the Egg Hornet upon arriving in the Mystic Ruins.

"SONIC!" Ashura yelled. "I'll get you out of there!"

Immediately, the young hedgehog activated his invisibility and tried to manage his way over to the Hornet, unnoticed.

"Ashura, no!" Knuckles screamed in frustration. "It's no use, get out of there!"

"I'm almost to him!" Ashura exclaimed. "Just a little-"

"Oh no, you don't!"

Suddenly, some dirt was kicked up and, of course, dirt occasionally has mud in it. When the mud kicked up, it latched onto Ashura, rendering his invisibility obviously, and utterly, useless.

"Get out of my way, you stupid little pest!" Eggman screamed, backhanding Ashura into a nearby tree.

"Ashura!" Sonic yelled. "Eggman, if I get out of here, I swear I'll-"

"You'll what?! You're about to take a swim to the bottom of the ocean!"

With the mightiest strength the Hornet could muster, Dr. Eggman tossed Sonic high into the air down towards the ocean.

* * *

"KNUCKLES! SONIC!"

Ashura bolted up in bed, frightened and covered in cold sweat. Instantly, there was a flash of blue and Sonic was right there. Knuckles followed right behind him, a concerned look on his face.

Ashura was scared, embarassed and, before he knew it, was crying. He had just had the worst dream of his life and it was about his best friends. Of course, he hadn't meant to wake the whole household... _Hopefully Tails is still asleep, _he thought to himself.

"What's wrong, Ashura?" Sonic asked frantically. "Was it a bad dream?

"Worse!" Ashura choked, no longer being able to hold back the tears. "It's like I was actually there! Like it's going to actually happen! I don't understand what's going on with me. First, I find out I've been able to turn invisible and now I'm having prophetic dreams of-", he stopped, afraid he had said too much.

"Of what?" Knuckles asked soothingly. "Ashura, please calm down," he said, because the latter had finally broken down sobbing now. "If you saw something, you need to tell us. It could be very important."

A small, hushed voice sounded in the doorway. "Guys? What's going on?"

Tails, of course, had probably heard the commotion and headed downstairs at the noise. For being a little kid, though, he didn't seem to the adults to be all that scared.

_I was right_, Sonic thought to himself. _Tails _has _grown up after what we've been through_.

"Ashura had a bad dream, that's all," Sonic reassured the young fox. "Knuckles thinks it could be a prophetic dream or something. Is that what they're called, Knux?"

"Yes, Sonic," Knuckles replied informatively. "These dreams are highly capable of showing images of the future and can be stopped if precautions are taken." He turned to Ashura at this point. "That's why it's _very _important that you tell us what you saw, Ashura." To Tails, he said, "If it's all right with Sonic, do you want to be included in this discussion?"

Tails looked to Sonic and nodded, waiting for approval that he hoped would come.

"Yes, I think Tails has proven himself enough these past few days, " Sonic beamed proudly at the young fox. "You know, Tails, you're going to be five very soon, so it's time for me to stop hiding things from you."

Tails looked at Sonic in confusion.

"What do you mean, Sonic? Is there something you haven't been trusting me with?" Tails asked, his lip quivering.

Fearing that his 'little bro' was _also_ going to start crying, Sonic reassured him that everything was okay.

"Well, no and yes. A lot of things, including this previous adventure's true mission, I kept from you, because I've been training you."

"Training me for what?" Tails asked, his face lightening up, now that he had heard good news.

"Tails, you're a Freedom Fighter now!" Sonic exclaimed proudly. "Not only that, you're going to be my second-in-command!"

"Wow!" Tails exclaimed in amazement.

"That's all well and good, but... didn't you want to hear about my dream? Sorry to interrupt...", Ashura hastily interjected.

Knuckles smiled at him in admiration.

"A very good question, not to mention the point at hand, Ashura. Please... tell us what happened in your dream."

Sonic, Tails and Knuckles listened intently as Ashura retold his dream to them. They were quiet and patient, especially respectful when it became too much for Ashura and he needed to dry his eyes. When Ashura was finished, Sonic spoke up.

"So, Dr. Eggman is going to attack Tails and I in the Mystic Ruins with his Egg Hornet?"

Ashura nodded.

"Plus, you're going to try and help, but I tell you it's no use?" Knuckles chimed in. Again, Ashura nodded.

"Then, finally, I'll get knocked out of the way and Sonic will be thrown into the ocean," Ashura finished.

"Sonic," Tails piped up, "that could be a huge problem. You haven't always been a good swimmer. Meaning..."

"Meaning, unless someone intervenes," Sonic interjected, "I could drown. I could... die."

It had suddenly become very quiet in the house...

* * *

"WHAT?! A _new_ hedgehog?! Gyro II, GET IN HERE!"

The maniacal Dr. Eggman loved to yell at his subordinates every morning. In fact, it was the first thing he did every day. However, this new bit of information was _so_ important, not to mention, _missed in inspection_, that he had moved to beyond yelling... he had moved to bellowing, with fists clenched in rage.

"GYRO!" He bellowed again.

"You bellowed, Dr. Eggman?"

"Yes, and if you give me _ANY_ of that smart-aleck intellect like your predecessor, I'll dismantle you as well!"

The robot's eyes widened in fear to show its creator it had understood the message.

"Very good," Eggman said, relaxing a little. "Now, tell me, _why _was I not informed that a green hedgehog that looks _JUST like Sonic_ has been running around this planet for almost twelve years?"

"Twelve years?" Gyro II asked. "But, sir, just yesterday, you tried to destroy the world with the Death Egg and failed. My records indicate that no green hedgehog existed at that time!"

"What's that?" Eggman's eyes widened in fear. "This wasn't part of the prophecy! Bring me the stone tablets and run a cross-check on the space-time continuum _IMMEDIATELY_! Also, get me _ANY _information about Ashura the Hedgehog and _BE QUICK _about it!" It looked as if the evil doctor had regressed back into bellowing.

Gyro II immediately brought up the requested information and began to give its report.

"Yesterday, date 3 of the first month of the year 2130, you, Dr. Ivo Robotnik, also known as Dr. Eggman, tried to destroy Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles Prower and Knuckles the Echidna by ending the world. You failed to do this when Knuckles the Echidna shattered the Master Emerald and used the Super Emeralds' energy to destroy your beloved Death Egg."

"Get to the point!" Eggman bellowed impatiently.

"To make a long story short-"

"About too effing late!"

"SHUT UP!" Gyro II yelled. "You wanted the information, so sit down, shut the hell up, and let me give it to you! _Then_, you can dismantle me for insubordination for all that I care!"

Eggman was stunned. He twirled his mustache and motioned the robot to continue, silently impressed that Gyro II had stood up to him and making a mental note _not_ to dismantle it.

"As I was saying, your plan to destroy the world failed. However, the energy of the Master Emerald and the Super Emeralds was too powerful and caused an instability in the space-time continuum."

"An instability? Go on, please," Eggman asked politely, not wanting another telling off.

"Certainly. The stone tablets' prophecy did indeed happen as predicted. Chaos and Tikal were released from the Master Emerald, and the Super Emeralds reverted to their Chaos State, then scattered across the world."

Eggman was visibly confused, as this wasn't any information that he didn't already know. Nonetheless, he was intrigued.

"So, what is the disturbance?", he pressed on.

"Quite frankly, doctor, Ashura _himself_ is the disturbance. He is a direct result of the energy instability and time-space anomaly. In short, he thinks he's a twelve-year-old boy that has just become best friends with Sonic, but to us, he entered our world yesterday."

Eggman was shocked. For at least a second, he felt bad for the young hedgehog.

_After all_, he thought to himself, _I'd be furious if I thought I'd lived all these years and it turned out my life was a lie_.

Sadly, as all things must be, the doctor's fleeting moment of good was replaced by the coldness of his evil heart.

"Continue," he instructed Gyro II. "I want to know everything about Ashura, what he's capable of, and how I can use him to my advantage."

"But, sir, that boy has the right to a life. A _NORMAL_ life. He didn't ask to suddenly exist, not to mention it is the fault of his best friends and soon-to-be enemy _that_ he exists in the first place! Now, I don't know what you mean to do with that information, but I picked up the trace of good that was just in you now."

Eggman jumped to his feet, for he had taken to sitting down while Gyro II was talking.

"Stop!" He yelled. "Abort information! ABORT!"

"No," Gyro II responded sternly. "You programmed me too well, Doctor, and I have been able to see how evil you have become. I also know what you created me from. You took me from my wife and child. You made her your captive and turned her into Gyro. My 'predecessor', as you referred to her. Then, you kidnapped me and made me into Gyro II."

Eggman started drowning out the sounds of his failed creation.

"Abort, ABORT!" He screamed.

"NO!" The robot Gyro II drew his weapon at this point, training it on the doctor. "I have set my own plan in motion, rechristening myself as E-102 Gamma!"

Dr. Eggman was cowering in fear at this point, not understanding what he had done, but refusing to let that good side in. _Refusing to be who his grandfather_, Gerald, _had wanted him to be_. He had become truly evil.

"I know that my child is alive and well. He is with a pink hedgehog girl, and she will be protecting him until my plan is complete."

Eggman had finally regained his voice and started doing some assertion of his own.

"What _is _your plan? Because I was considering keeping you in function, but now it seems my mind is being changed. Tread carefully, as you're on thin oil, as it were, _Gamma_!", he said with contempt at the new name.

"As we speak, I have assimilated all of your E-Series Robots."

"WHAT?!"

"They will self-destruct in ten minutes, long before you can enslave any more of my race and use them for your bidding. You've lost, Doctor! Accept it."

"Yet, what of Ms. Rose and your child? That blasted Sonic surely won't have time to protect them, what with the anomaly on his plate. I'll just send my faithful robot, Zero, who will-"

"Enough! That boy is not just an anomaly. He is a living breathing hedgehog, and if you're not careful, mark my words, _he _will _be your downfall_!"

"Says who?", the doctor sneered.

"I DO!"

Eggman's eyes widened at this, as the voice was different to his ears. It was strong, powerful... and female.

There was a flash of pink light and, there, standing before Eggman and Gamma was a young pink echidna, no younger than thirteen.

"Who- who are you?", Eggman cried in exasperation.

"My name is Tikal. I'm a guardian of the Master Emerald... and I've got some business with you, Doctor..."


	4. Trouble At The Beach

Chapter 4: Trouble At The Beach

"Ashura, it's time for breakfast!"

Ashura jumped out of bed and headed downstairs. He was very excited, though still concerned about last night's dream.

However, he had good reason to be excited, for he would be going on his first mission!

"Good morning, guys!", he announced to the others jovially.

"Well, look who got over their dream quickly!", Knuckles said cheerfully.

"Well, there's nothing we can do until we encounter Eggman again, so why spend time worrying about it now?", Ashura replied playfully.

"I agree," Sonic spoke up, "We're on temporary vacation until further notice, so I suggest we act like it!"

They all laughed and cheered at this, before sitting down for breakfast.

"So, Ashura, are you psyched for your first mission today?", Tails asked excitedly.

"Sure am, little bud! What about you! For an almost five-year-old, it must be pretty cool to have built your own plane!"

"Well...," Tails began sheepishly.

"Oh, don't be modest, Tails!", Knuckles chimed in. "That is _quite_ an accomplishment at your age!"

"I still don't see _why_ we need a second plane," Sonic wondered aloud. "Don't get me wrong, little bro, it's _great_ that you're branching out with your inventing skills, but the Tornado still works just fine!"

"I appreciate it, Sonic!", Tails replied. "But, I have a really cool idea and that's why I built it!" He looked at his watch and gasped.

"Shoot! I have to head over to the workshop and test it out. Since I still can't fly too well, I'm going to have to take the train... and we all _know_ how long that takes! See you guys later!"

"Hey, be careful! I can't be coming to save you today, what with us all having the day off or fairly relaxing in some way!", Sonic yelled jokingly, but Tails was already out the door.

"Well," Knuckles spoke up, "Ashura, we should probably get going."

"Why? What about my first mission?"

"Well... you're going to help me find some Master Emerald shards. I sense some down by City Hall, guardian senses come with the job. Anyway, that's where Sonic fought that creature last night, so it's also the best place to start."

"Awesome, let's go!", Ashura hooted with delight.

"Great, and while you guys are taking care of that," Sonic chimed in, "I'm going down to the Emerald Coast Hotel for some rest and relaxation! Unless something else comes up, let's meet back home by nightfall, okay?"

"Okay!", Knuckles and Ashura responded in unison.

* * *

"What do you mean, you have business with me, Tikal? I've done nothing wrong."

Dr. Eggman had just been confronted by his rogue robot, Gyro II, now known as Gamma, when a flash of pink celestial light had appeared. When the light had cleared, a very angry echidna was standing in front of them.

Staring directly at them, she had said, "My name is Tikal. I'm a guardian of the Master Emerald... and I've got some business with you, Doctor..."

Now, Tikal was a very smart echidna, so she had no problem matching wits with the evil doctor.

"Spare me the trickery, doctor, I know your heart!" She looked over at Gamma and said, "Gamma, well done! Now, get out of here before _your_ self-destruct phase goes off, too!"

"No! The doctor must pay!"

"Gamma! Even someone as evil as Dr. Eggman does not deserve to die. Plus, if he dies, the plan to restore balance to the world will fail. There must _ALWAYS_ be evil to counteract good. Now, go!"

Gamma thought about retaliating, but then said, "As you wish, Tikal. But, what of my son?"

Tikal's face lightened.

"He'll be fine. Amy is more than capable of taking care of him. Zero won't stand a chance, I promise you, now go!"

With that being said, Gamma left, with 30 seconds to spare. In a flash, E-102 Gamma exploded and, in his place, a male Flicky appeared. He nodded his thanks and flew off to find his son. Tikal then turned to Eggman.

"Doctor, your mind is made up and I can't stop you. I'm not allowed to directly interfere. However, I hope you realize what you're getting into. Chaos is not a creature to be dealt with lightly...

"Why are you telling me this?", the doctor snapped. "You're just like that goody-good Sonic, truth this, justice that!"

"No, doctor," Tikal responded, and her face grew serious, "Chaos and I are the balance _between _good and evil. Our jobs are to make sure you go through with your plan and that Sonic, plus his friends, stop you... every time, if need be."

"I don't understand," the doctor said, compelled with good again. "Why?"

"Because I already told you. There must _always_ be evil to counteract good! It is the natural order of things. Farewell, Dr. Eggman. Until our next meeting..."

"Wait!" Eggman cried out, but it was too late. Tikal was gone. As Eggman walked to his chambers, he heard the sound of his E-Series robots self-destructing, one... by... one.

For the first time in his adult life, even if it was in pure evil and anger, Eggman wept, saddened and finally defeated as he lost what humanity he had left.

* * *

Sonic was relaxing by the poolside, hoping to catch some rays of sunshine.

_Ah, this feels nice! I can finally relax, I don't need to worry about that Egghead or that mysterious water creature from last night! I'm just going to relax and-_

"LOOK OUT BELOW!"

_CRASH!_

"Holy crap! A plane crashed! I better see if- wait... a plane?"

Sonic's eyes widened as far as they would go. Any further and he would be in danger of losing them...

"TAILS!"

Racing as fast as could, Sonic rushed to the beach... only to see robots on the attack!

"Damn it!", Sonic cursed. "I knew that Eggman was still up to no good!"

On and on, Sonic raced across the beach, avoiding enemies only fighting if he couldn't help it.

At one point, he was chased by a whale. He yelled at it in jest.

"Hey, either help me find a young, two-tailed fox or get away from me!"

The whale, of course, could not talk and just kept chasing him. Finally, after what seemed like five minutes, he reached Tails and his downed plane.

Tails looked up at his older brother figure.

"Guess my test was a _crashing_ success?", Tails joked.

"Totally!", Sonic agreed facetiously. "Come on, let's get back to the hotel before you _REALLY_ get yourself hurt!"

Back at the hotel, the two friends were discussing what went wrong. Tails mentioned that there were some kinks, but otherwise it could fly just fine.

"Yeah, fine! Enough to crash right?", Sonic teased.

Tails took the jab in good humor and replied, "That's because it needs my secret item!", and he proceeded to pull out one of the Chaos Emeralds!

"_WHOA_!", Sonic's jaw dropped. "That's a Chaos Emerald! How'd you get that, bud?"

"I found it on the way to my workshop. That's why the plane was only a prototype. It needs a Chaos Emerald to work!"

"That's a great idea, Tails! Nice job! Let's radio Knuckles and Ashura to meet us at the workshop! We can all help you iron the kinks out..."

With the day's events not yet over, it looked like Sonic was not going to get his vacation, after all.

It was like Tikal had said to the now truly evil Doctor Eggman: _There must ALWAYS be evil to counteract good_.

Dr. Eggman must always try to conquer the world and Sonic must always try to stop him...

Always...


	5. City of Green, A New Ability

Chapter 5: City of Green, A New Ability

"So, what do we know about the mysterious water creature that Sonic fought last night?"

Ashura was trying to find out as much as he could for his first mission while he and Knuckles took the train to Station Square.

"Be patient, Ashura.", Knuckles warned. "That creature is Sonic's concern, not ours. We have to find and restore the Master Emerald so that Sonic _CAN _do that job!"

"I see.", Ashura concluded. "Well, will we ever get to find out what's wrong with me? In all my twelve years of life, I've never felt like this! What's wrong?"

He was asking, because Knuckles had suddenly gone quiet.

_Twelve years?_, Knuckles thought to himself in shock. _My ability to sense life forms may only be at a basic level, but I sense that Ashura has only been alive for the past few days. I better answer him, though. He doesn't need to worry about it right now, what with our task at hand_.

"Nothing," Knuckles smiled. "Just deep in thought. Anyway, we're here, so let's get to City Hall."

With that, they headed into the heart of Station Square, where the glorious City Hall was. However, it was boarded up after the battle from the night before.

"I don't like this, but through this door leads to the part of town where I'm sensing Shards," Knuckles informed his young companion.

"Meaning...?", Ashura replied cautiously.

"We have no choice. We're going to have to break the barrier, "Knuckles said matter-of-factly, though his look was clear that he didn't like the idea at all.

"That won't be a problem," Ashura fired back enthusiastically, causing the echidna to start in alarm. "Just break it down and leave it to me! I think I remember something and it's giving me an idea..."

"If you say so, my young friend," Knuckles agreed hesitantly, before punching the barrier with his awesome strength.

"Someone will have seen that," Ashura yelled. "Quick, grab my hand!"

Knuckles did so and Ashura screwed up his face in concentration. There was a loud _crack_ and _BOTH_ Knuckles and Ashura became invisible!

"This is amazing!", Knuckles exclaimed. "You can bring people _with_ you when invisible. Do we need to maintain contact?", he asked, fearing the worst, yet trusting Ashura with the answer.

"Not to move aroound, no," Ashura replied, "but only _I_ can bring you back. However, we need to get moving, and we can't very well do that if we're admiring me all day! Though, I don't mind..."

"Don't get cocky, Ashura! The shards are this way. Just don't run into me..."

"Oh, _I_ won't. If _you_ focus, though, we can both see where the other is. Only 'visibles' can't unless they use those tricks, like in my dream!"

"Incredible!", Knuckles admonished the green hedgehog. "You truly are one of a kind, my friend!"

When they finally reached the inner city, they were surprised to see robots attacking.

"Eggman!", they yelled in anger.

"Quick, let's give 'em a surprise!", Ashura yelled and brought the two of them back with a loud _crack_!

However, Knuckles himself wasn't ready to return to the land of visibility, and missed his opportunity to land a punch.

"Next time, _warn_ me before you do that!", he yelled at Ashura.

"Sorry, I thought I did!", he shot back. "Re-entry can be a little _bumpy_!"

"You think?!"

The two tag-teamed Eggman's robots very well. Throughout the fight, Ashura was able to move fast and use his skills to take out his enemies.

_I guess I _was _right about him having _some_ of Sonic's traits_, Knuckles thought to himself, as he dodged a bullet spread from a helicopter robot.

"Ashura! I've found the Emeralds and I'm going for 'em! Cover me!"

"Uh, Knuckles...?"

Knuckles looked back and his eyes widened in horror. _All of the robots had surrounded Ashura!_ It seemed that he was their intended target.

"Get the Emeralds! I'll be fine!

"Are you sure?"

"NO, BUT GRAB WHAT WE CAME FOR, _THEN_ HELP ME!"

Knuckles chuckled to himself, as he grabbed the Master Emerald Shards and headed back towards the fray of robots.

"KNUCKLES! AUGH!"

_CRACK_!

There was a blinding flash of light, and the robots were knocked back. Knuckles, being used to explsions, dodged gracefully.

When the light cleared, Ashura was nowhere to be found.

"Ashura? ASHURA!"

"Um... Knuckles?"

The red echidna looked upon a rooftop and saw his green friend, laughing but scared witless.

"You want to help me get down from here?", he asked sheepishly.

Knuckles could only grin...

* * *

Back on the ground, Knuckles and Ashura decided to grab some food to discuss what had just happened.

"Being invisible was a very surreal experience. It's like I was in a different plane of existence, " Knuckles commented, taking a sip of his cola. "Is it like that for you all the time?"

"I guess so, " Ashura replied. "I'm freaking out more about the sudden burst of light that knocked back the robots and put me on a roof! Say, do you think I could teleport?"

"Now, let's not get hasty. We don't know _what_ happened exactly," Knuckles warned him. "All we know is that when you're under extreme duress, you can emit a powerful energy enough to hurt your opponents... or someone else if not careful.

"The landing on the rooftop could just have been your _own_ knockback, since you weren't ready for it. Though, you recovered very quickly, so I'm impressed, nonetheless!"

"Knuckles? Come in, Knuckles!" A voice was sounding on the radio. "Knuckles, do you read me? Come in, please!"

Knuckles turned the talk switch on. "Relax, Tails. I read you. What's the situation?"

"Bots are back!", Sonic interrupted. "They were all over Emerald Coast. Junior here-"

"HEY!"

"Don't interrupt, Tails!", Knuckles chided. "Harsh, Sonic, but go on..."

"Anyway, his prototype failed because it needs an Emerald to work. However, Tails couldn't figure it out."

"Wait, Tails found a Chaos Emerald already?", Ashura exclaimed. "Awesome, little bro!"

"Yeah, we're on our way over to the workshop to try it out on the _actual_ plane! Sonic and I want you to meet us there, okay?"

"Will do, Tails. Over and out," Knuckles finished and clicked off the radio.

"Let's catch the train fast! If we hurry, we can make it before the morning is out!", Ashura chattered excitedly.

So, it was settled, then. Our gallant heroes, or a least a facsimile of them, were off to build a plane. However, the very evil threat of Dr. Eggman was starting to rear it's ugly head once again. Evil must always counteract good, indeed...

Our heroes were in for the adventure of their lives...!


End file.
